Methods for sealing throttle valve housings are known. Sealing takes place, in this context, by means of throttle valves which are arranged centrally in the throttle valve housing on a throttle valve shaft. For as low an idling rotational speed as possible, the throttle valve must in this case be capable of closing in a highly leaktight manner, so that adverse leakage air is avoided. In the present-day mechanically or electrically driven throttle valve housings, attempts are made to achieve this by means of very narrow tolerances of the individual components. This requires a relatively high outlay in terms of the manufacture of the throttle valve housing and the throttle valve which has to be lathe-turned with very high precision to these narrow tolerances. In this case, care must be taken to ensure that the throttle valve bears in as leaktight a way as possible against the inner wall of the throttle valve housing, but does not touch the inner wall too firmly, since a jamming of the throttle valve may otherwise occur.